The invention relates generally to the field of harvesting bone marrow from bones, such as the human long bones, pelvis, and vertebral bodies.
Existing techniques for removing bone marrow typically involve the use of syringes or fenestrated instruments attached to a syringe. Such techniques may require repeated attempts to remove enough bone marrow to be effective as when used on carriers for bone graft substitutes, for example. In addition, fenestrated instruments can be prone to clogging and the sharp tip of a Jamshidi type needle can place vital structures such as nerves and blood vessels at risk during the extraction of the bone marrow. Furthermore, fenestrated instruments aspirate from a small select portion of the bone rather than along the entire length of the bone.
While the invention is subject to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and the accompanying detailed description. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description are not intended to limit the invention to the particular embodiments. This disclosure is instead intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.